


Bigger Fish

by EldritchVulpine



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:35:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28782078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EldritchVulpine/pseuds/EldritchVulpine
Summary: There's always a bigger predator, and sometimes the enemy of your enemy must be your friend.Or, an eldritch creature woken from a very long nap is very grumpy with the amount of chaos in the world and has decided that it will make sense and order out of everything, even if it has to kill everyone to do it. What better way to stop something that wants infinite order then a being of infinite chaos?
Kudos: 10





	1. This is How it Ends.

She never would have thought that twice in her life she’d be standing here, like this. In the rubble of what used to be her favorite place in the world, clinging to her Grunkle’s hands, the wind whipping her hair so hard that it stung when it struck her face. She wasn’t sure if it was that or fear that caused the tears she couldn’t stop. 

Except this time, she was watching her brother step forward, confident, strong, bold; each step shook the earth in a dull soundwave, each step removing the stasis the world had been put into. He looked over at her, and she could see his eyes clearly in that moment; the one that she knew so well, soft brown, the same as her own; warm and earthy. The other, though- 

-the other was a starburst, an eclipse. It was black as jet where white was supposed to be and golden instead of brown. He cocked his head like a curious puppy, brown hair flopped over his normal eye, and he smiled, shaky and broken. 

“Mabel,” He spoke, and Bill’s voice was there, too, laid on top of her brother’s now-deep, rich voice like someone had recorded them both speaking and played them over each other, “maybe you should leave.” 

Then he- they- turned and started walking forward again, reaching out occasionally to touch a house, a car, free it from perfect stasis and then keep walking as the people who had been affected gasped for breath and watched in shock. 

“I’m not leaving!” She called, to his retreating back. “I’m not leaving you alone with my brother!” 

He stopped- they stopped- and turned to face her again. Ford moved in front of her, protective, and Stan tightened his grip on her hand, his own trembling a little. 

“Six-Ford,” The amalgam of her brother and Bill said, their voice flat and chilling, “Stan. Get her out of here. Before I-we make her leave.” 

“Kid-” Stan tried, taking a step forward. It was a mistake; he stopped with a grunt, like he’d cracked into a solid wall. 

_“Now.”_

“He needs me! Don’t-” She realized that Ford was wrapping his arms around her and screamed, thrashing her legs as the big man lifted her clean off her feet. “No! Dipper needs me! Bill-” 

“You can’t do anything for them now, Mabel!” Ford, raising his voice to be heard over the chaos- somewhere beyond Dipper, the Controller roared defiance. 

“No! Everything must be order!”

The words echoed on the wind, and Dipper flinched, hard, as something invisible slammed into them, making them stumble forward a step. They whirled, stunningly graceful- a combination of Dipper’s training and Bill’s innate skill- and slammed their hands outward, as if pushing something back and down. 

“Get. Her. _OUT_!!” 

_“No!”_

Ford didn’t bother to argue this time. He broke into a run, Stan hot on his heels. “The Shack!” Ford bellowed, over the roar of something that wasn’t wind as two or three birds fell around them, frozen in place, as if dead. “Get to the Shack!”

“Dipper!” But her scream went no where this time; locked in place like everything around them as the world behind them froze, the only thing moving the rapidly fading sight of her brother. 

And she prayed it wouldn’t be the last time she saw it.

_________________________

Much like the last time, no one ever could have predicted it. Hell, there was maybe less warning. Their parents had been both delighted and surprised when they asked, every summer, to be allowed to go back and visit their Grunkle; they didn’t need to know which Grunkle, exactly, or that there were two of them now. And Stan and Ford made sure to be there, every summer, like clockwork. 

Anyway, Ford had reasoned, Gravity Falls needed to be protected. Might as well keep up with family while doing it. 

Five summers in and he was starting to think the kids would be doing more protecting than the old coots, pretty soon. Age was catching them both up. At sixteen, the kids weren’t anymore; they were a handsome and lovely young man and woman. 

A handsome and lovely young man and woman that were, at the moment, barreling towards the Shack like the pair of twelve year olds they had been once. 

“Incoming!” Stan called, from the front door, and he chuckled to himself as it was followed by the sound of him being forcefully impacted by the now-much-larger kids. The sound of laughter and complaining reached his ears, and, with a fond smile, he put down his book and stepped out to greet them. 

“Dipper, Mabel.” He greeted, bracing himself for Mabel to slam into him like a whirlwind- which she did, throwing her arms around his neck as he lifted her off her feet, giving her a squeeze. Dipper himself extended a hand for a shake, and he gripped the younger man’s upper arm firmly, the pair exchanging something not unlike a warrior’s grip. 

He was nearly as tall as Ford, now, and he couldn’t help but chuckle. “When did this happen?” He teased, nudging him, and Dipper rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. 

“You say that _every summer_ , Ford-” 

“Every summer it seems like you just keep getting bigger.” Ford commented with a laugh, as Stan materialized to ruffle the boy’s hair. That earned a swat and a squawk. “Grunkle Stan, no-” 

The bickering continued as the three made their way into the house, Ford following behind with a soft, fond smile. It was- good. This was good. He’d never thought it would be his life, but here he was. He shut the door behind himself, then paused, brow furrowed. 

Huh. Weird. He’d thought he’d seen- 

_Imagination. Must have been his imagination._

But for a moment he’d thought he’d seen- something watching him. Felt it, too. 

_You’re a paranoid old man_ , he told himself, heading inside. _Made worse by- everything. You’re just paranoid. You’re just._

“Grunkle Ford, I brought cookies!” Came the call from inside, distracting him, and he locked the door behind himself as he reentered. 

And the thing that had been watching him slipped into the shadows.


	2. Everything Old is New and Everything New is Old

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet up, catch up, hang out with old friends. 
> 
> ALL your old friends. Allllll of them. 
> 
> :)

“-and then he told me about this cove that’s _filled_ with mermen!” Mabel’s babbling washed, mostly, over Dipper like a tide; she’d been carrying on ever since they arrived and he was used to her endless stream of talking at this point. He’d long since learned how to pick out what was important in what she was saying and ignore the rest. 

They still shared a room up in the attic; Soos had offered his break room to one of them as they’d gotten older, but the two were too used to each other and sharing a room to be comfortable without the presence of the other, even now. He hung up the last of his shirts and jackets, flopping down on his own bed to watch her as she folded a sweater, still happily chattering. 

“He said he might take me this summer to go see them, but that Mermando was a pretty gentle example. He says the rest of them are people eating monsters!”

“But handsome people eating monsters?” He teased, arching an eyebrow at her. 

“Exactly!” She laughed, sitting on her own bed. “I knew you’d get it eventually!”

“I think maybe that’s not a great idea.” He laughed out, rolling his eyes and ruffling his own hair in absent thought. It had gotten long over the years, falling around his shoulders, and he kept it in a loose tail most of the time; now, though, it fell over his face and in his eyes, and he tucked it compulsively behind his pierced right ear. (Right for him, left for Mabel.) 

“Oh come _on_ , Dipper, it’d be fun! Besides, I’ve never been on a real ship before, have you?” 

“...Mabel, we grew up together.” 

She snorted a laugh and grabbed a brush to run through her long brown hair, letting her gaze wander to the window. “Hey, Candi and Grenda are coming out for a welcome back lunch. Y’wanna come?” 

He shrugged a shoulder. “Sure. Why not?” Once, there’d been a…. _thing_ with Candi, but she’d gotten older and wound up asking Grenda to their school dance, and the two had been attached at the hip ever since. He was happy for them, and their little romantic misadventure when he was twelve seemed to have blown over. 

“Great!” She beamed at him. “There’s this old antiques shop that opened up in town recently, it’s got so many cute things in it. We were gonna grab food at the diner then go check it out.” 

Antiques shop; well, at least it might be interesting among the girly chatter. Might find something to bring back to Ford. He stood back up, tugging on the long black duster that he’d loved ever since Ford had gotten it for him for a fifthteenth birthday. 

“Sounds good. We going now?” 

“Now’s better than later!” She bounced off her own bed- some people would never change- and grabbed his hand, hauling him out behind her. 

“Be safe-” He heard Ford call, as they blasted through the living room, and he called out a “we’realwayscareful-” Before he was yanked out the door and after his sister. Laughing, he fell into step with her; ultimately, he’d wound up just a bit taller then her, with puberty, and he wound up towing her slightly while she laughed with glee. 

The town hadn’t changed much in the years; small things cropped up and left, people grew and changed, but year to year it seemed the place stayed largely the same. Almost like it was frozen in time. 

And honestly, there was a part of him that wondered, in a way, if it was. 

“Mabel! Dipper!” Grenda’s unique voice rang out. Over the years it had mellowed out; she still had a rasping, deep voice, but it was slowly veering into the realm of a raspy, smokey sound that could be called ‘sultry’. Deep for a female but not bad. Still a big girl, powerful and broad-shouldered, she lifted Mabel in a back-cracking hug. 

“Oh I’ve missed you!” 

“Agh! Missed you too, Grenda! Spleen!” 

“Hi, Dipper.” Candi, on the other hand, remained tiny and delicate; her hair was long and kept in a tight braid; pretty, honestly, if a little too willowy for his taste. “Hi, Mabel.” 

“Candi, hi!” The two embraced, and Dipper leaned back on his heels, chuckling to himself softly at their enthusiasm. “Ahhh it’s so good to see you girls!!” 

“Haven’t all of you been writing and calling and texting and emailing and-” 

“ _Dipper_ , don’t be a jerk!” 

He laughed again, shoving his hands deep in the pockets of the duster and letting Mabel shove him off balance. 

“I’m starving!” Grenda announced, slinging her arm around Candi. “Wendy and Soos said they were going to meet us, by the way. They’re excited to see you!” 

Dipper felt a soft smile touch his lips at the mention of Wendy; the faint, nostalgic, embarrassing whispers of a childhood crush dancing through his mind. It was a bitter-sweet feeling; but there was a warmth to it, too. She’d always been so patient with him, so kind, and now? 

Well, she was still beautiful, and awesome, and he still felt some part of him turn into a melted, awkward puddle every time she was around; but mostly, he’d let it go and was just glad of her friendship. 

Those feelings flooded him now as they approached the dinner, where the two adults were waiting; Soos waving enthusiastically and Wendy flashing them a peace sign. 

“Hey, kiddo.” She greeted, as everyone managed to scoot and squish into the seats. “Been a minute. How’s it going you guys?” 

“Oh, Wendy! You remember that school thing I was telling you about?” Mabel began, and off she launched. Dipper went back to tuning out most of what she was saying, ordering when Susan came to take it and then leaning back to stare out the window. The chatter of his friends washed over him in warm waves, and he smiled, closing his eyes. 

He’d missed this. He loved it. He never felt so at home, so _happy_ , as when he was here, with these people. Home, he was just the strange kid with his nose in a book and no friends. Here? 

Here, he was a part of something. Here, he was a hero. Here, he had a family. 

He was jerked out of his reverie by Soos punching his shoulder lightly. “Earth to Dipper, come in Dipper.” 

“Hey- uh- what?” 

“I _said_ , is it true?” 

“Is what true?” 

“What Mabel here is saying about you and Pa-c-i-f-i-c-a.” 

“Oh, God. Mabel, you’re not supposed to just go around-” He groaned, pressing his fingers into his eyes as food arrived. Mabel giggled impishly. 

“C’mon, Dipper, they’re our friends. We can trust them!” 

He rubbed his eyes, tiredly. His sister really would never change. 

“And what, exactly, is she saying?” 

“That you’re her dirty little secret.” Candi giggled behind a hand. 

“ _Secret lover,_ ” Grenda crooned, grinned from ear to ear. “How _romantic._ ” 

“We are not-I don’t-” He huffed. “We are not ‘secret lovers’ for God’s sake-” 

“It’s like a romance novel.” Mabel drawled, laughing behind her hands. “My brother and his forbidden love.” 

“ _Stop_ that!” 

“Hey, dude, I think it’s sweet.” Soos piped up, though Dipper could see him trying not to laugh. “Long distance relationships can be hard though, man, I can’t imagine what being someone’s secret boyfriend is like-” 

“I am _not-_ ” 

“You kind of are, Dipper.” Wendy grinned at him through her newly-shorn red hair. “I think it’s cool. Sticking it to her parents, letting her see who she wants and be who she wants. Good for both of you.” 

He felt himself blush, ducking his head down. No matter how old he got, she could always do that to him. 

“Not that her parents _know_.” Mabel shrugged. 

“It’s a start.” Wendy shrugged. “Besides, talk about a power couple. Your smarts and her- well. Her.” She made a vague motion with her hand. “If we’re not careful you two’ll take over the world!” 

“Like Pacifica needs more power.” Mabel rolled her eyes, but it was good natured enough. The two seemed to get along for the most part, and what they still hated about each other they generally set aside for Dipper’s sake, which he appreciated. It wasn’t easy, this strange...thing, non thing he had with Northwest. It was carefully timed phone calls and texts, emails at odd hours, both just _happening_ to show up at the same place at the same time...all carefully under the table. It was, honestly...sort of exciting. Sort of fun. 

Pacifica called it ‘thrilling’. Pacifica also had a flair for the melodramatic. 

“Are you two ever going to- y’know- be official?” Grenda asked, and he shrugged. 

“I- don’t know. I guess it depends on her, mostly.” He replied, honestly. He wasn’t the one who had a life and reputation that could be seriously and drastically changed over this- and while other people might not, he could understand why that might not be something she was prepared for. Or would ever be. If all this was was a fun fling for a few summers, well- so be it. 

Maybe he’d like it to be, though. Serious. Official. 

“Ok, ok.” Wendy again, pushing her plate away. “Enough teasing Dipper. For now. You guys said you were going to that new antique place that opened up?” 

“You wanna come?” Dipper asked, eager for more people than just three gossipy, giggly teenage girls to keep him company. 

“A chance to make old dusty objects new dusty objects? You bet!” Soos grinned, as the group slid out of the seats. He fell in back of the group; even among them, he’d always been either in the front leading the way or the back, a quiet on looker, and happy in that position. Hands in pockets again, he let Mabel take spotlight, arms looped with Grenda and Candi’s, telling them about their Christmas that year until they finally arrived at the shop. 

It was a new one, for sure, which was strange in and of itself; new shops didn’t really open in Gravity Falls. He frowned as they entered, the smell in the building musty and dank. 

“Smells like a fishtank.” Wendy muttered, and he couldn’t help but agree. The three younger girls had already taken off into the shop, squealing over the nick-nacks and old pieces of other people’s lives. Dipper himself migrated to a section of old, leather-bound books, skimming the titles. 

_Dipper_. 

“Mabel?” He lifted his head, brow furrowed, glancing around. He’d really thought he’d seen her race off with the other girls. 

_Dipppper. C’mere._

That...wasn’t Mabel’s voice. That wasn’t _anyone’s_ voice. He cocked his head, following the call, letting his fingers trail over items absently. 

“Who is that?” He called, hesitantly. “Who’s- there?” 

_Oh come on, Pine Tree, your memory can’t be that short. You recognize my dulcet tones!_

And, abruptly- he _did_. Dipper froze in his tracks, suddenly white-hot and paralized with terror and shock as he stared, unable to move, to breathe, to _think_ , staring at the pendant before him. It was so innocent. Pretty, even; a dragon’s claw with an eye in the palm, the whole thing carved delicately in what seemed to be latin. 

And Bill’s voice calling to him from it, as clear as day.


End file.
